Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie has overturned a key ruling by the Monrovia City Court in the ongoing legal saga involving Kindness Wilson, ordering the admission of controversial video evidence that had previously been rejected by Magistrate Ben Barco.
The initial rejection of the video was based on procedural grounds, as prosecutors had attempted to authenticate the footage through victim Jumel Cox, rather than the person who recorded it. In a sharp reversal, Judge Willie ruled that the video can now be admitted into evidence, on the condition that the individual who recorded it appears in court to verify its authenticity.
“The state is hereby ordered to produce the person who recorded the video within two days for the purpose of authentication and credibility,” Judge Willie declared from the bench.
The ruling is considered a major procedural victory for the prosecution, which has argued that the video is a critical piece of evidence in the case. However, the defense is pushing back strongly.
Defense lawyer Atty. Jeremiah Samuel Dugbo I only partially accepted the ruling. He contended that even if the prosecution succeeds in authenticating the video, its content is so “prejudicial and inflammatory” that it should remain inadmissible.
Atty. Dugbo did not stop there. He vowed to take the matter to the Supreme Court, accusing Judge Willie of committing a “reversible error” that undermines the fairness of the trial. “This ruling, Your Honor, is not just flawed, it is injurious to the principle of a fair trial,” Dugbo stated in open court.
The case continues to draw significant public interest as it moves through the criminal justice system, with the next phase hinging on whether the prosecution can locate and present the alleged recorder of the video in the two-day window set by the judge.
The Kindness Wilson case has become a high-profile legal battle, and this latest twist could shape not just the outcome of the trial, but also set a precedent for how digital evidence is handled in Liberian courts moving forward.
